


Hands on Me

by CloudHop, lelystra



Series: pick me (nayana) [8]
Category: JBJ (Band), Produce 101 (TV), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Horror, Blood, I'm Sorry, Insanity, M/M, Minor Character Death, Murder, Non-Graphic Violence, Psychological Horror
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-14
Updated: 2017-10-14
Packaged: 2019-01-17 03:23:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12356427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CloudHop/pseuds/CloudHop, https://archiveofourown.org/users/lelystra/pseuds/lelystra
Summary: the halloween au in the high school au that literally nobody asked foror alternatively, how kim samuel lost his mind.





	1. Part 1 (Kim Samuel)

**Author's Note:**

> happy October everybody. here's a halloween murder AU that takes place in our high school AU that we made. ha......
> 
> part 1 is released today, on Friday the 13th, and part 2 will be released on October 31

**[Breaking News] Two second years caught kissing!**

_The pair were discovered yesterday under the auditorium stage with an amorous setup…_

When Samuel reads the headline, he’s rightfully worried. He checks the time and nods. Daehwi should be up by now. He’s already on his way to Daehwi’s house when he figures he should probably let him know.

_7:23 A.M. Me: Want to walk to school together?_

If Samuel knows anything, Daehwi is going to be devastated. It would be practically a crime if Samuel let his best friend suffer alone. So, Samuel has to be there to make him feel better. Because that’s what best friends do…right?

He arrives at Daehwi’s front door sooner than expected. Probably his brisk walking speed. He shuffles outside awkwardly and begins scrolling through the rest of the article. It’s a little overdramatic, but scandalous nonetheless.

“Hey,” he starts. Daehwi looks awful. Samuel scrunches his eyebrows, “How are you doing?”

Samuel tries to smile encouragingly. He hopes the meaning is conveyed.

“Fine, I guess.”

Samuel isn’t convinced. They start walking, side by side, down the familiar route to the subway.

“Oh, really?” Samuel says. It comes out higher-pitched than he expected. Daehwi stops walking. So Samuel does too. Daehwi turns to him and sighs.

“Did you see the rumors too?”

And there’s no use in even trying to deny it, so he skips completely over the confession and instead goes straight into questioning.

“Was that really Jinyoung-hyung? Didn’t you say you were going out?” he asks frantically. He’s sure he remembers right, that Daehwi said that they were dating. He would never forget anything Daehwi said. They’re best friends. “Who is that other guy? Did he lie to you?”

And it takes willpower, but Samuel is just barely able to suppress an onslaught of rage at somebody lying to Daehwi. How could they? Daehwi is such a good person. Samuel would never lie to Daehwi because Samuel is a good friend.

“Samuel…” Daehwi groans. He sounds tired. Or annoyed. Samuel isn’t sure.

_Probably tired. Not annoyed. He’d never be annoyed at me…right?_

If you want to kill him, I’m ready,” Samuel says. Because he is. This is what best friends do for each other.

“WHAT!?”

It seems like Daehwi isn’t totally onboard with this plan. Maybe he doubts Samuel’s abilities? Samuel will just have to convince him of his skills.

“Yeah, like, I know how to hide a body. ‘cause that’s what best friends do, right? They help kill the boy that broke their best friend’s heart. And I’m your _best friend_.”

He’s sure he looks a little crazed right now, but he just has to convince Daehwi that he’s the real deal. That he would do anything for his best friend.

“Um, sure, yeah.”

And it’s decided. Samuel smiles. Daehwi looks a little worried, but it’s probably just because they may be late to school.

“Remember, I’m always here for you, Daehwi. If you need anything…” He pauses for dramatic effect. “…and I really do mean anything. I’m here.”

Samuel grins again and pats Daehwi on the shoulder. He’s glad that his best friend has such faith in him to eliminate their enemies. He won’t let him down. He’ll do all the duties of a best friend. For Daehwi. Always, for Daehwi.

\----  
He starts plotting that night. He’s fished out an old notebook that’s only half full and ignores the numerous pages of math equations and class notes, flipping until he finds a blank page.

_Perfect._

He starts scribbling, planning. He knows he’ll have to use a knife, it’s the only viable option for a weapon. The most lethal. He thinks harder and scribbles more. Maybe two weapons would be better. More effective. He runs through his mind of what he has on hand in his home. He wracks through his brain over and over but he can’t think of anything besides kitchen knives.

He gets up, abandoning his pencil and notebook, and begins to root around in his room. He opens his drawers. There are thumbtacks, but those are too small to really do much damage. Maybe he could use them for torture though…to get out information of course. Not because he likes torture or anything. That’s completely ridiculous…

Next, he checks under his bed. Nothing except for that one kind of dirty magazine that Haknyeon left last time he visited. Or, more like, the only time he’s visited. Samuel likes Haknyeon. If there are other casualties, he’ll make sure to spare Haknyeon. Haknyeon is his only other true friend at their godforsaken high school anyways.

He goes to his closet last. Just clothes. Nothing useful. But then he spots it, wood grain, starkly different than his clothing. It’s a bat. Propped on the back wall. From his middle school years when he wanted to be a famous baseball player. Hey, it was just a phase, okay?

The bat is completely wood. It’s old, and there’s a few splinters here and there. For his purposes, it’s probably fine that way. He contemplates if he should add a few nails at the tip of the barrel. He wonders if his family even has any nails in the home. Probably not. He settles on just the bat itself. It should work well enough. Will the bat break at the impact of bones? He hopes not. But he has a knife anyways. So all his bases should be covered anyways (HA! A baseball joke. Get it? Get it? …do you get it?).

Samuel thinks hard about when he can enact his plot. He’ll have to wait no matter what. But in a few weeks, the school will have their semi-annual lock-in for boys. The girls will get theirs in a week. “Equality is important” or whatever, according to Yumi.

Yes. He can do this. No teachers. And only locked doors. Nobody can escape. Especially not Baejin. He nods to himself. Yes. That sounds like exactly the right time. This is all to help Daehwi. Because that’s just what he does. Help Daehwi.

\----  
As days pass, his plan only gets more and more detailed. It’s practically sophisticated in the way he’s coldly calculated the chances of failure. He has to be careful, if he disposes of Baejin too early in the night, people will suspicious. He doesn’t want any witnesses. But…if he has to, he’s ready to eliminate the whole school. And then Daehwi will never have to deal with disloyal friends ever again. Because all he’ll have is Samuel. And Samuel would never betray him.

If Daehwi notices anything different as time goes by, he doesn’t mention it. Samuel is a little more stressed these days, and it shows. He’s twitchier than usual and is constantly high strung, ready to snap at any moment. He hears the words “no chill” whispered as he walks the halls. He ignores them. It’s not Daehwi saying it, so why should he even bother?

The date of the lock-in approaches much faster than Samuel expects. There are just a few days left when Samuel starts questioning his plan. Was this really what was best for Daehwi? What if Samuel is wrong? He shakes his head and rubs at his temples. He’ll just have to check on Daehwi tonight. If he’s doing okay…maybe Samuel will call it all off.

At night, long after classes, he tells his mother that he needs to go to the corner store. But that’s a lie. Samuel would feel guilty in normal circumstances, but this is important, this is something that involves Daehwi. And sometimes, being a best friend trumps being honest. It’s a short walk to Daehwi’s home, and when he arrives he heads to a familiar tree, the one he’s so used to climbing he could probably do it in his sleep.

Daehwi’s bedroom light is still on, a bad sign, it’s nearly midnight, and Daehwi always went to bed at ten. Or at least, that’s what he told Samuel. That’s why Samuel was careful to never text him after ten, he wouldn’t want to wake his best friend. Daehwi needs all the rest he can get. Samuel nods to himself and then starts the climb up the tree.

He gets to the branch that’s just barely higher than Daehwi’s room and peers in. Samuel sees Daehwi on his bed, curled up, sobbing. He scowls. That settles it. He’s ready. On the night of the lock-in, he’ll be prepared. Nobody will ever hurt Daehwi again. Samuel will make sure of it.

\----  
He starts packing immediately after Friday classes. Most kids will have bags full of extra clothing. His will contain something…a little different. He shoves his bat into the bag first, it’s the biggest, then the huge knife he nicked from the kitchen. Two new rolls of duct tape are pushed inside too, one can never have too much duct tape after all. Lastly, he shoves in a box of thumbtacks too, just in case he needed to…interrogate somebody. Finally, Samuel shoves in a pair of extra clothes and smiles. He’s ready.

He doesn’t contact Daehwi on his walk back to school. It’s not that he doesn’t want to walk with Daehwi, because he always wants to walk with Daehwi, but he doesn’t want to ruin the surprise. After all, this whole plot is for Daehwi. He needs to make sure everything is perfect. And even though Samuel feels a little bad that he’s leaving Daehwi in the dark, he knows it’ll all pay off in the end.

He gets to the school and shivers, just barely holding back a scream. It’s _her_ , his dreaded teacher, _she’s_ the one signing everybody in. He gulps and continues to walk, not nearly as confident. He’s tensed up as he steps into line. She glares as he reaches the front.

“H-Hello Teacher Kahi,” he stutters. He tries to hold eye contact. He succeeds, but only barely.

“Kim Samuel,” she says. He gulps again. She checks off something on a piece of paper. “…okay. Go in.”

“Th-thank y-you.”

“And stop stuttering. Bad manners,” she scolds.

“Y-Yes Teacher Kahi.”

He zips on through and clenches his backpack close to his chest. Kahi really is the scariest person he’s ever met. He spots Daehwi almost immediately after walking in. He’s talking to Seonho animatedly, smile big and hands constantly moving. Samuel smiles too. At least Daehwi seems to be feeling better.

_And he’ll be even happier later. After Bae Jinyoung is taken care of._

Boys continue to file in after him, and Samuel starts following the crowd all the way to the gym. Jonghyun is there, handing out sodas and snacks to the masses. It seems he’s snuck some in after all. Samuel would expect nothing less of their president.

The first several hours are full of copious amounts of soda and chips. Somebody has brought a home speaker system, and Samuel’s foot taps in time with Exo’s ‘Ko Ko Bop.’ Everybody looks like they’re having fun. Samuel hums as he watches Daehwi smile. Soon Daehwi will do nothing but smile, because Samuel is going to fix it all, he’s going to get rid of the thing that makes Daehwi sad.

It’s about three hours in when activities really start dying down. The gym is littered with empty cans and candy wrappers. He watches in silence as Jonghyun corrals other students into classrooms as Dongho and Minhyun flit around gathering trash. So responsible. He expects nothing less from third years.

He goes willingly into the room of first years, settling down in a spot next to Daehwi. The lights are turned off, but conversations are still being had in the room. And then slowly, one by one, the conversations die down until only a few are left mumbling. Samuel fakes sleeping for what he thinks is an hour, maybe two. He doesn’t have his phone with him, they’re apparently banned at events like these, so he can’t check.

He opens one eye after he’s sure everybody else is fast asleep. He spends some time studying Daehwi’s face, calm, serene. Samuel can’t help but grin again. Daehwi is sure to be happy once Bae Jinyoung is gone. One last look at the sleeping face, and then he stands, backpack slung over his shoulder.

He creeps over the sleeping bodies of fellow first years and tiptoes out the door. First challenge conquered. Outside, he unzips his backpack as quietly as he can, and pulls out the kitchen knife. He goes to the classroom full of second years. It takes Samuel’s eyes a few minutes to adjust, but once they do, he spots Jinyoung easily. Samuel considers himself lucky that Jiyoung isn’t surrounded by second years, instead taking a spot near the end of the line. Samuel tiptoes over more students, knife in hand. He’s hovering over Jinyoung, ready to perform a finishing blow, when he hears a sleepy yawn.

“Mmm…hello?”

Samuel tenses and turns towards the voice. A figure is sitting up, rubbing at their eyes. Samuel squints, just barely making out features. Ah…it’s...Hyunwoo? Yes. That’s…probably his name. Samuel holds his breath. Maybe Hyunwoo will fall back asleep?

“Who is it?” Hyunwoo asks. Samuel can’t hold his breath any longer, he’s forced to exhale. Hyunwoo rubs at his eyes and blinks a few times.

“…what’re you doing?” he asks. Samuel gulps. It’s too late to hide a knife. He can feel himself start to sweat, his knuckles tightening around the handle. This is it, he has to knock him out. He steps over other second years that are still blissfully asleep and stops in front of Hyunwoo He’s still blinking blearily, eyes only half open.

Samuel aims for the temples, just like the internet told him to. Hyunwoo doesn’t even make a sound on impact, his body crumpling forward. Samuel heaves him up but is unable to silence a grunt at the effort. It won’t be easy to carry him to the bathroom, but he has no choice.

Samuel is breathing heavy by the time he’s dragged Hyunwoo to the bathroom. He opens his backpack and fishes out the duct tape. He rips off a few pieces with his teeth and wraps them around Hyunwoo’s arms and legs. Hyunwoo lets out a groan and Samuel jumps. He didn’t expect him to wake up this fast. He grabs his knife hastily.

“Huh?” Hyunwoo mumbles. He blinks his eyes a few times, adjusting to the fluorescent bathroom lights. “What’s going on?”

Samuel’s breaths start coming faster.

“Hey, you, what’s happening? Why am I tied up?”

The clench on the knife tightens.

“Is that…is that a knife?! Hey! What’s going on here?!”

Samuel can’t even hear him. All he can hear is the pulsing of his own heart getting faster and faster.

“What’re you doing!? Get this tape off me! HEY!”

The yelling is scaring Samuel. It’s too loud. Others will come.

_Stop yelling. Stop. I can’t get caught. No, not yet._

“Shut up!” he shouts. Hyunwoo struggles harder and opens his mouth to yell.

_Not yet!_

So, Samuel makes a decision. He gets closer to Hyunwoo, holding his knife in front of him.

“HEY! STOP! DO-”

Hyunwoo doesn’t get to finish. Samuel stares at the bloody knife, then the blood slowly seeping into Hyunwoo’s clothes.

_Shit. Shit. SHIT._

He grabs Hyunwoo and starts dragging him to the first-floor closet. He has to hide him. He has to hide the body. Before the blood gets to the floor, before there’s a trail left. He opens the closet door and shoves Hyunwoo in. He slams it shut, breathing heavy, and leans on the door. He exhales slowly. He’s shaking. This wasn’t part of the plan.

He runs a hand through his hair and starts walking away but then pauses. He hears steps. And a quiet voice.

“…can’t believe that idiot spilled…”

Samuel turns slowly. Fuck.  Another unplanned scenario. He hides behind a corner and watches as Jungjung walks to the closet. The closet that Samuel had just shoved Hyunwoo’s dead body into. It’s almost like it’s in slow motion when Jungjung opens the door. He starts yelling frantically in Mandarin and Samuel panics. Jungjung’s voice is so loud, so shrill. Samuel has to act fast.

He rushes out, bloody knife still in hand, and stabs him in the back, quick and efficient. Jungjung’s body falls forward and Samuel stabs him again, just to be safe. His body lands on the floor with a dull thump, blood beginning to pool around him. More panic. Another unexpected casualty.

Samuel does his best not to hyperventilate. Blood runs down the knife onto his hand, staining the ends of his shirt sleeves red. He looks at the glassy eyes of Jungjung and backs away slowly. He needs to get out of here. Others will find the bodies soon. He has to hide.

It seems he’s decided just in time, because a minute later Jonghyun is bursting into the scene, Dongho, Minki, and Minhyun in tow. A group of other students are following them, but Jonghyun is leading the charge. He sees the bodies first. Samuel watches his face go from fear to determination.

“Dongho!” he calls. “Stand here! Block the view!”

Dongho nods and moves to stand in front of the bodies.

“Everybody else! Back away! Go back to your classrooms and await further instructions!”

Students grumble, but do as told. Dongho glares. Samuel shivers.

“Minki, Minhyun, with me.”

They nod and Samuel watches as the three third years head towards where Samuel knows is where the PA system is located. It seems he was right, because he hears the crackle of the PA system only four minutes later.

“Hello everybody, this is your student council president, Kim Jonghyun. Everybody please come to the gym and await further instructions. This is an urgent matter. I repeat, this is an _urgent matter_!”

Samuel waits until he sees Dongho leave to go towards the gym before following after him. He rolls up his shirt sleeve to hide the blood and grabs a towel from the closet. He wipes down the knife and shoves both into his backpack.

He passes by a questionably moaning classroom on the way. He glances inside quickly and sees two figures making out furiously. They stop when they hear his footsteps and stare at him when he freezes. He unzips the backpack and pulls out the bat.

“…what’re you doing with that bat Samuel?” one of them asks.

_Taemin_ he thinks. _His name is Taemin._

Taemin grips the other boy.

_Taewoo?_

Samuel starts moving forwards. The bat feels so heavy. He doesn’t even remember swinging. He hears the screams and feels himself break into a cold sweat. He keeps swinging until the screaming stops. His bat is bright red when he’s done. He stares at the two bodies before him. Their faces are nearly indistinguishable. Guilt runs through him, but he stomps it out quick. He doesn’t have time to feel guilty. He stuffs his bat back in his backpack and resumes his journey to the gym.

He’s trying to calm himself, wiping his clammy hands discreetly on his pants. There are flecks of blood stuck underneath his fingernails. He hopes nobody notices. He’s startled when he runs into another moving body.

“Ah, Haknyeon, listen to me,” he starts. Haknyeon tilts his head. “Go to the third-floor janitor’s closet. Stay there, okay? Trust me, yeah? You trust me, right?”

Haknyeon’s nods slowly, eyebrows furrowed.

“Yeah, of course I trust you Samuel.”

Samuel smiles.

“Good. Now go.”

He gives Haknyeon a quick pat on the back and observes as Haknyeon changes directions to head towards the stairs. Good. Haknyeon will be safe there. Samuel will make sure of it. Haknyeon is the only one besides Daehwi who’s ever cared about him anyways. They’re friends. And Samuel is always loyal to his friends.

\----  
The gym is already crowded by the time Samuel arrives. Boys are huddled up in groups, talking in hushed voices. A few look as though they’ve been crying, eyes red rimmed and puffy. Samuel pushes the guilt deep, _deep_ down.

_It’s all for Daehwi. Others don’t matter._

Jonghyun is standing on the platform usually reserved for guest speakers. He claps his hands together a few times. The room quiets. A few boys are still trailing in.

“Hello everybody. I’m sure you’ve all noticed that something very serious has occurred. There has been a murder.”

The hushed chatters start up again. Samuel hears a few sobs. He sees Daehwi out of the corner of his eye. He looks tired and fearful. His eyes are red, like he’s been rubbing at them. But Daehwi doesn’t have to worry, Samuel would never hurt him.

“Quiet everybody!”

The chattering stops.

“Everybody should remain in the gym! We will be taking volunteers to investigate. Please note that you will be paired up, and that you are required to stay in your pairs at _ALL_ times. Remember, there’s safety in numbers.”

Samuel watches as groups of boys sit, and then slowly, a few brave boys approach Jonghyun at the podium. He figures he should do it as well. If he’s lucky, he’ll get paired with Bae Jinyoung. If he’s not…well…he’ll figure that out when the time comes. He walks to the podium and nods at Jonghyun. Jonghyun nods back.

“Samuel. Glad to see you’re here to help. You’ll be paired with,” Jonghyun pauses and looks down at a notepad. “Gunhee.”

_Shit._

It’s not Bae Jinyoung. But he’ll deal with that later. Gunhee smiles widely at him. Samuel can see all his teeth. Jonghyun looks at his notepad again.

“You two…head to the closet where the bodies are. Tell us if you find any clues.”

Jonghyun looks up and surveys the other paired volunteers.

“Attention to those who volunteered! Report back in thirty minutes! If you are not back in the gym by then, we will begin a search party for you. Remember to stay in pairs and be on the lookout! We don’t know who the killer is, so be on guard!”

The volunteers disband and Samuel follows Gunhee down the halls towards the closet. His throat feels tight. Gunhee tries to start up a conversation, but Samuel only gives him stilted answers in return. Eventually Gunhee stops trying.

The closet is still in disarray when they arrive, the bodies untouched. More blood has pooled around them, eyes wide and glossed over. Gunhee curses under his breath and reaches into his backpack. Samuel nearly chokes when he pulls out a camera.

_No no no he can’t—I can’t let him—there can’t be any evidence._

Gunhee starts peering at the bodies through his lens and Samuel listens to the methodical click as photos are snapped. He takes out the bat as quietly as he can and creeps up behind Gunhee.

“Hey, Samuel, come over here for a minute, I need you to look at-”

“Sorry,” he whispers. And then he swings. Crack crack. The sound the bat makes on impact is deafening. The camera crashes to the floor. Gunhee’s body follows. Samuel swings at the camera one more time for good measure. It crunches satisfyingly. He breathes in deep and stuffs his bat back inside his backpack before opening his mouth. Another deep breath in. And then he screams.

He hears the clomping of boys running down hallways. Jonghyun is the first to arrive, then Dongho and Minki, with Minhyun at the back.

“What happened?!” Minhyun asks. He walks closer to look at Gunhee’s body and recoils. It’s more gruesome than Samuel had expected. But what can be expected, a bashed in skull is never a good look on anybody.

“I-I don’t know,” Samuel stutters. He starts breathing quickly, trying to force himself to hyperventilate. He needs them to believe he’s actually scared. “I only left for a minute. I thought I heard somebody running, but then…then…”

He tries to force himself to cry. He can’t. He fakes some shaky breaths instead.

“Wh-when I came back…Gunhee-hyung…he was…”

“Hey, it’s okay. You don’t have to finish,” Dongho says. Samuel forces himself not to flinch when he’s wrapped in a warm hug. He catches Jonghyun staring at him, cold, calculated.

_Does he suspect…?_

Dongho releases him and Samuel watches as Jonghyun approaches the camera. He picks the mangled pieces up and rotates them around before finding what he was looking for. It’s a tiny latch. Jonghyun pushes on it and Samuel starts as it flips open.

“Ah, the SD card is undamaged,” Jonghyun says, extracting the tiny card.

_SD card?_

“Ah…uh,” he starts nervously. “What’s an SD card?”

Jonghyun’s gaze is piercing.

_He can’t…no. Of course, he doesn’t suspect…_

“It holds the memory of a camera,” Minki explains. “We can use this SD card in another camera, or a computer, and download the photos.”

“Ahhh, haha…” Samuel laughs nervously. Jonghyun’s gaze really is terrifying. “That’s so cool…”

He starts to trail on behind the four seniors as they go back to the gym, but breaks off onto a different path before they can notice. He goes towards where he knows the PA system is. He has to end this quick, before too many people start to suspect. He knows, logically, he won’t be able to fight them all at once. He just needs to eliminate his one target…and then everything will be okay.

He pushes open the door with newfound confidence and drops his backpack next to him. He’s suddenly very happy that it’s black. Able to hide blood stains. He sits down in the huge black chair and stares at the system. It has a lot of buttons and switches. Which is the right one to press?

He experiments for a few minutes, flicking switches on and off. None of them seem to do anything. He keeps on fiddling until he finally hears the microphone crackle on. He taps it a few times and then opens his mouth to start speaking.

“Hello—ahem, I mean,” He coughs once and adjusts his voice to a lower register. “Hello everybody. I’m sure you’ve all noticed what’s been happening tonight. If Bae Jinyoung comes to the PA room, _alone_ , this can all stop. Right here. Right now.”

He turns the system off and smiles. He totally did an awesome job at disguising his voice. Nobody could possibly think it was him. But just in case, he hides in the corner behind a stack of boxes. He opens the top box to see if there’s anything useful but is sorely disappointed to find that they’re only full of frayed cables. He closes the box back up only to realize that in big, blocky characters, the box has been labeled as ‘trash.’

When Samuel hears footsteps, he frowns. It’s definitely more than one person. Bae Jinyoung hasn’t come alone. His frown turns to a scowl of anger. Bae Jinyoung has just decided his fate. And the fate of everybody else too. The door flies open with a bang and Samuel catches just a peek of who he assumes is Jonghyun.

“Fuck,” a voice says. Another peek. Ah. Ong Seongwu. “We’re too late.”

“Shh, calm down,” another voice says. This one Samuel recognizes. Kang Daniel.

“Yeah, don’t worry,” a third voice calls. It’s cheery and bright. Samuel risks just one more glance. Ah, it’s their resident prodigy, Lee Euiwoong. A good kid through and through.

“C’mon, let’s look outside,” Jonghyun instructs. He hears footsteps getting more distant. They’ve started walking away. This is his chance. Samuel extracts his knife slowly, carefully, and then jumps out from the boxes. He grabs the back of Euiwoong’s jacket and pulls him close, holding the knife at his neck.

“Move out of the way!” he shouts. He presses the knife closer as Daniel makes a move to lunge.

“Don’t do it! I’ll kill him, right now if I have to!”

Jonghyun puts out pacifying hands.

“Okay Samuel, we hear you. We’ll move. C’mon, just let Euiwoong go.”

“No!” he yells. “I know you’re lying! If I let him go, you’ll attack me!”

“We won’t,” Jonghyun says. He takes a step towards Samuel.

“STOP!”

He presses the knife even further into Euiwoong’s neck. Beads of blood just barely start forming from the beginning of a cut.

“Don’t get any closer! I’ll kill him, right now! MOVE!”

Samuel can see Jonghyun calculating his chances, weighing his options.

“STOP THINKING! MOVE IT!”

He starts dragging Euiwoong along with him, knife still at his throat. Daniel and Seongwu exchange a look and reluctantly move. Jonghyun’s eyes are ice cold, assessing his every move. Samuel would be terrified if he wasn’t so high on adrenaline.

Samuel feels the heat of three gazes on his back as he forces Euiwoong to move forward. They arrive at an empty classroom and Samuel weighs his odds. His hands are still gripping Euiwoong’s collar tight.

_Euiwoong…he’s nice…a good person…but he’ll rat me out if I let him go free._

Samuel sighs. He doesn’t want to kill Euiwoong. But he has to. He has no other choice. He’s in too deep at this point anyways.

“I’m sorry, Euiwoong.”

“Please,” he whispers. Samuel closes his eyes and sinks the knife deeper into Euiwoong’s throat.

Step one: Exhale.

Step two: Cut.

Step three: Run.

His eyes shoot open. He spares a glance at Euiwoong. His face is serene, Samuel might even believe he was sleeping if not for the angry red cut on his neck. Blood bubbles out from it and floods onto the floor. Samuel forces himself to turn away and run.

He doesn’t stop when he hears the familiar buzz of the PA system powering on.

“Hello everybody. This is your student council president, Kim Jonghyun. I am announcing that the current primary goal of all volunteers is to find Samuel and stop him through any means possible. I repeat, the primary goal is to stop Kim Samuel.”

He runs faster. His lungs burn.

“Be warned, do not approach Samuel by yourself. He is considered armed and dangerous. I repeat, do not attempt to engage Samuel alone. Remain silent and await back up. And one more thing.”

There’s a pause. Samuel’s skin prickles.

“Be careful out there.”

The system clicks off. Samuel’s vision tunnels as he runs down the hallways. He yelps as he runs into another figure, sending both of them crashing to the ground.

“ _Fuck_ ,” the figure grunts. “Shit, that hurt.”

Samuel rubs at his eyes and looks at the person he’s just barreled down. Hwang Minhyun. He jumps up and starts reaching for his bat.

“Whoa whoa whoa,” Minhyun says, hands up. “Slow down Samuel. We’re on your side.”

“I-I don’t believe you!”

_That’s what everybody says. That’s what they all say._

“No! Really! We are!”

_Ah, our famed krumper._

“Sh-shut up!” he stutters. His hands shake around the bat.

“We want to get rid of Bae Jinyoung just as much as you,” Taehyun continues. Minhyun nods his assent. Samuel runs his eyes over the group. It’s larger than he expected, much too large for him to fight off by himself. He sighs and lowers his bat.

_No other choice._

“Fine. Help me then.”

Minhyun and Taehyun both grin. The rest of the group remains silent, expressions blank. They start walking down the hall. Samuel follows. He hadn’t planned to have any allies, but he’s happy nonetheless. If he tries hard enough, he can almost fool himself into thinking they’re his friends. It’s silent as they patrol the halls, only broken by a loud exclamation from Jihoon.

“Everybody stop,” he starts. The group stops, all eyes falling on him expectantly. “I need to go to the bathroom.”

Samuel catches the model rolling his eyes. He thinks hard and squints, trying to recall the name.

_…Kwon Hyunbin. Yes. Him. The model._

The group stops and Minhyun runs a hand through his hair.

“Fine,” he huffs. “Be quick about it though.”

Jihoon winks. “Aye aye Captain Minhyun!”

It’s Kim Sanggyun who rolls his eyes this time. Samuel isn’t sure how he’s remembered this one’s name. Ahhh, it’s because he caught him rapping in the bathroom once to an excited Hyunbin (“Wow Sanggyun-hyung! You’re so talented!”).

_Idiots._

The group pauses and watches Jihoon go to the bathroom. He returns maybe ten minutes later, sprinting to them.

“I saw him! Bae Jinyoung!”

“What?! Where?!” Minhyun shouts.

“That way! I just saw him! Over there! In the classroom!”

Taehyun is first to lead the charge, dashing down the halls and bursting through the doorway.

“WAIT!” Jihoon cries, but it’s too late. Samuel watches as Taehyun’s body crumples to the floor, head hitting the ground hard. Samuel hears an unpleasant crunch. Upon closer inspection he sees a brick, dirtied with blood. More blood begins to pool around Taehyun’s head.

“Shit, fuck, it was only supposed to knock him out, shit…” Jihoon trails off, running a hand desperately over his face. Samuel turns when he hears a sob. It’s another upperclassman, the one Taehyun was always hanging out with.

_Sungwoon?_ Samuel thinks.

“What the fuck have you done,” Sungwoon hisses. “What the _FUCK_ have you done?!”

Jihoon recoils. Samuel understands. He’d be mad too if his best friend was killed right before his eyes. He wouldn’t be able to stand it either.

“I’m sorry! It was supposed to be for Samuel!”

And that stops Samuel right in his tracks. That trap. That was meant for him. They were only _pretending_ to be his allies. His fists clench tight and his breathing gets choppy.

_Idiot._

“What?! No! I thought you were-I thought we-. I was so dumb. Of course, I’m alone!” Samuel shouts. “You’re all fucking liars! You were never on my side to begin with!”

_Trust nobody._

“NO! It was just Jihoon! We still want to help you!” Seonho shouts. Ah, cute little Seonho. But behind that cute face is just another person waiting to betray him.

_Moron._

“We’re all on your side!” Donghan cries. Feh, Donghan, just another pretty face. Useless.

_Fool._

“Let us help you!” Minhyun shouts.

_You’re alone._

“SHUT UP! All of you!” he screams. They all become silent. Samuel’s ears are buzzing. He can’t make it stop. “ _STOP! BE QUIET!”_

He clenches at his ears.

_Shut up shut up SHUT UP_

He lets out another scream, hands clenching at his head. He drags his nails down his face and isn’t even surprised when his fingers come back bloody. He starts running. Nobody follows. He hears Sungwoon begin to sob, loud and anguished. It echoes in his ears far after he’s out of range.

He encounters another duo on his flight. They’re huddled together, the school couple that had stolen the hearts of many. Im Youngmin and Kim Donghyun. A couple that inspired others to reveal true feelings. Relationships. Romance. All of it useless.

_Pathetic_

He reaches into his bag and pulls out his bat again. The blood on the barrel has dried completely, soaking into the wood and staining it a dark red. Samuel shifts it in his hands a few times until he’s comfortable.

“You’re fucking pathetic,” he snarls. The two shrink away from him and clutch at each other tighter. Samuel looms over them, bat in hand. He’s ready. A smirk. Another adjustment of the bat. And then he’s swinging with all the force he can.

He doesn’t know how many times he swings. But when he finishes, his bat is dripping with fresh blood. He stands over the two bodies, pupils blown wide. He’ll leave them here. An example for the rest of them. He’s made up his mind.

_I’m alone. Nobody can stop me. Everybody is my enemy._

He clenches the bat tighter and grins, wide and toothy. He flexes his other hand, stretching out the muscles. This is it. It’s too late to back down now. This will end on his terms. He’ll make sure of it.


	2. Part 1 (Lee Daehwi)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've read my [I'm the One] fic then you'll recognize the beginning but the gist is that Daehwi and Jinyoung were dating but Jinyoung cheated on him.   
> I'm sorry to Samuel stans

Part 1 Daehwi

**[Breaking News]**

Two second years caught kissing!

The pair were discovered yesterday under the auditorium stage with an amorous setup…

 

Daehwi sat up in his bed, the grogginess replaced by hysteria and a sinking feeling in his stomach. Though he couldn’t see their faces, he had an awful suspicion that one of them was Baejin. Who else had proportions like that?

Hurrying to get ready, he wanted to get to school as soon as possible. He had to ask Baejin what was going on. Fury started to creep in. Was that why he wanted a secret relationship, so he could sneak around with multiple people? He wondered to himself as he angrily stuck a sock on.

_Buzz. Buzz._

 

Samuel:

_7:23 Want to walk to school together?_

 

Groaning, Daehwi typed a gentle no before thinking about and realizing Samuel was probably already waiting for him anyways. It wasn’t like he hated Samuel but he really didn’t have the time to focus on him right now.

His prediction was right when he opened the door to see Samuel leaning on his fence staring down at his phone. Instantly, he jumped to put away his phone when he saw Daehwi come out. His eyebrows were drawn up more anxiously than usual.

“Hey, how are you doing?” His awkward smile just screamed that he saw the news too. Samuel had been the first person whom he’d confided his crush and his number one supporter too.

“Fine, I guess.” Daehwi shrugged as they took the familiar route to the subway.

“Oh, really?” His voice was pitched higher. Stopping, he turned to Samuel with a sigh.

“Did you see the rumors too?” At this, Samuel erupted with questions.

“Was that really Jinyoung hyung? Didn’t you say you were going out? Who is that other guy? Did he lie to you?”

“Samuel…” Daehwi groaned in irritation. Though he hadn’t meant to, Samuel’s last question wounded him. Daehwi hadn’t thought Baejin to be a liar but with a suspicious photo like this, he wasn’t sure of anything anymore.

“If you want to kill him, I’m ready.” Daehwi whipped his head around in shock.

“WHAT?”

“Yeah, like I know how to hide a body. ‘Cause that’s what best friends do right? They help kill the boy that broke their best friend’s heart. And I’m your best friend.”

“Um, sure, yeah.” Samuel’s wide eyed expression was scaring Daehwi just a little. It was better just to agree with him.

“Remember, I’m always here for you, Daehwi. If you need anything and I really do mean anything.” Samuel patted him lightly but Daehwi barely registered it. His thoughts were consumed by a secretive caramel boy.

 

\----

 

The weekend after Baejin had broken his heart, Daehwi had holed up at home. He hadn’t left his room nor had he spoken to anyone. Samuel constantly messaged him asking how he was doing but he didn’t feel like answering him back. He just didn’t think he could understand what he was going through.

Feeling the tears oncoming again, he grabbed a tissue. Oh, it had been the last one. Sighing, he got out of bed to grab a new box from his closet. Catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror, he saw how disheveled he was. His pajamas were all wrinkled and his hair was messy.

After placing the new tissue box next to him, he crawled back into bed and curled up beneath the blankets. The curtains were closed and he threw the covers over his head to make it even darker. Somehow, he felt a tiny bit better when he couldn’t see anything.

 

\----

 

The week passed without much incident. Baejin avoided Daehwi whenever he saw him in the hallways. It was pretty disheartening.

On Friday, was the school lockdown night for the boys. After school ended, all the boys went home to change and grab their belongings for the night. All of the boys were required to spend the night at the school for bonding experience.

Daehwi hadn’t particularly wanted to go but since it was required he supposed he should. And he thought that maybe he should try to make friends with his classmates. He hadn’t really spoken to anyone other than Lee Woojin. Apparently, he was leaving town for the weekend and couldn’t come.

The lockdown started at eight pm so he had dinner with his mom before leaving. It was dark out when he grabbed his backpack. Checking his phone, he thought it was odd that he hadn’t received any messages from Samuel. He knew he was going to the lockdown too so it was strange that he hadn’t asked to walk together.

Guiltily, he recalled that he tended to not respond to Samuel so maybe he’d given up on messaging him. Daehwi felt bad and decided to try to make it up to him later. They used to be great friends back in Middle School. They’d always hung out every summer around the neighborhood. Biking, hiking, roller skating, playing sports, they’d done all the fun things kids do. But ever since they’d been separated into different classrooms, it felt like they’d drifted apart.

It was strange seeing the school at night. The lights were on inside and he saw other boys coming in. Kahi stood by the door holding a clipboard with a sign up sheet.

Daehwi tried not to make eye contact with her when he wrote down his name. He’d heard too many rumors of how scary she was. Her expression was indeed harsh looking. It was a face he didn’t want to stare at for too long like the Medusa’s.

He filed into the gym with the rest of the boys. Their bags had been tossed to the side and there was food set up in the middle of the room. Well, maybe food was an overstatement. It was three small bags of potato chips and a single bottle of soda. As expected of Mnet.

At first, he was unsure of where to go but he saw some first years gathering in a corner, chatting animatedly. Baejin was nowhere in sight yet so he decided he should go socialize. It would be good for him.

Upon seeing him, Seonho waved him over. They exchanged friendly smiles. Daehwi didn’t know him too well but that would change within the next couple of hours. Seonho introduced him to his roommate, classmate, “basically twin,” Lai Guanlin. The guy looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks with dark eyes and messy hair. Other kids from his class joined the group as well. Dongmyeong came in a pikachu onesie holding some kind of plushie. Daehwi didn’t think he could get any softer. Unlike literally everyone else, Euiwoong came in the school uniform.

“Dude, you know we didn’t have to wear our uniforms, right?” Euiwoong straightened his tie. “As the future school council president, I can’t tarnish my image with casual clothes. I won’t have anyone spread photos of me in pajamas when I run for elections.” Daehwi rolled his eyes at the response.

“You guys want some snacks?” He turned to see the real student council president, Jonghyun, passing out bagged snacks and drinks from his duffel bag. Of course, the president would prepare this far. Music started to cue up from speakers that someone had snuck in. The newest summer bop filled the room and an excited buzz could be felt through all the boys.

Daehwi liked the music but wished they would play some girl groups so he could show off his dancing skills. Alas, it was not meant to be so he stuck to some singing. The kids around him were all having a great time and so was he. Finally, he could relax and destress for the first time in a while.

The party started to die down after a few hours and the gym is a mess. Jonghyun tried to call for people to clean up. Some of the third years started to speed cleaning. Daehwi did his best to tidy up the area where his group was.

The boys are then separated by year and file out into their respective rooms to prepare for the night. The bathrooms became crowded with boys trying to change into their pajamas and brush their teeth. Daehwi tries not to stare at the choices of pajamas some of the other guys wear. It turned out Dongmyeong wasn’t the only one who slept in a onesie. And some guys who shall not be named to protect their image, simply stripped down to their underwear.

Daehwi returns to the first year room and sets up his sleeping bag and pillow next to Seonho and his group. It’s just past midnight and the boys look all pretty tuckered out. Small conversations are murmured but eventually they die off.

Daehwi snuggles into his blanket. The floor is hard and cold but he had fun and made a few more friends. His eyelids fluttered close and his face relaxes into a calm smile.

 

\----

 

“AAAAHHH!!!”

Daehwi woke up with a start. Around him, other boys’ heads were popping up in confusion. It sounded like someone had screamed something but he hadn’t understood it.

Everyone slowly got their feet, unsure of what to do. There were more shouts from the hallway as he heard people pass by.

Euiwoong was one of the first out the door. Daehwi rubbed his eyes and hesitantly inched closer, dragging his blanket. The school was cold and drafty. He wanted to go back to sleep. He bet it was just some pranks or couples fooling around.

Just then the speaker system crackled.

“Hello everybody, this is your student council president, Kim Jonghyun. Everybody please come to the gym and await further instructions. This is an urgent matter. I repeat, this is an _urgent matter_!”

Jonghyun’s voice blared on the PA with a sense of serious and tension. Murmurs began as the boys looked at each other in disbelief. Daehwi had a sudden bad feeling about this. It was around 2 am and not all of the lights were on in the school.

He filed into the gym with all the other boys. Some of them looked nervous and confused, while others looked tearful and scared. Daehwi was glad he had his blanket wrapped around him warmly. Jonghyun stood at the platform at the head of the room. Without a speaker, he’s forced to clap to try to get everyone’s attentions.

“Hello everybody. I’m sure you’ve all noticed that something very serious has occurred. There has been a murder.”

Gasps followed this statement. Daehwi rubbed his eyes again to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. Fear crept into his heart once he realized it was real. There were no adults here who could help them. He hadn’t brought his phone either. Boys started to speak frantically to each other.

“Quiet everyone!” Jonghyun clapped his hands again.

“Everybody should remain in the gym! We will be taking volunteers to investigate. Please note that you will be paired up, and that you are required to stay in your pairs at _ALL_ times. Remember, there’s safety in numbers.”

At first no one made a move and just glanced at each other warily. Daehwi looked down. His hands were white and shaking. He didn’t wanna go. There was no way he could do it.

A few people stood up and slowly came up to the front. To his great surprise, Samuel was among them. He always thought Samuel was a scaredy cat like him, but maybe he felt a sense of responsibility.

The volunteers get paired up and Jonghyun gave them instructions. “Attention to those who volunteered! Report back in thirty minutes! If you are not back in the gym by then, we will begin a search party for you. Remember to stay in pairs and be on the lookout! We don’t know who the killer is, so be on guard!”

At the word, ‘killer,’ a shiver ran down his spine as his eyes darted around. He clutched the blanket tighter. He tugged on Seonho.

“Hey, do you know what’s going on?” Seonho replied back with a low voice. “I heard that Hyunwoo from class 2-3 was found murdered.”

Guanlin came into the conversation. “I saw a second body too. I think it was one of the Chinese exchange students. He shouted to save him in Mandarin.”

Suddenly a boy ran up frantically to them. “Have you guys seen Taemin and Taewoo?”

The only response was their blank faces. Daehwi didn’t know who they were. The guy ran off to another group. His stomach started to churn with fear again. He tried to get a headcount for his class but it was no good. There were too many boys and they were all spread out.

Time passed which only made him even more anxious. They were all sitting on the floor now. Some of the boys fell asleep again which astonished him. He didn’t know how anyone could fall asleep in this situation.

Suddenly, the loudspeaker crackled again. Everyone sat up and expected to hear Jonghyun’s voice. Instead, it was someone completely unexpected.

“Hello—ahem, I mean,” Samuel’s voice blared out but then he switched to a lower pitch. “Hello everybody. I’m sure you’ve all noticed what’s been happening tonight. If Bae Jinyoung comes to the PA room, _alone_ , this can all stop. Right here. Right now.”

Daehwi’s eyes widened in complete shock. Was Samuel the one responsible for everything? Was that what he was saying?

Boys began to argue loudly with each other. First, they were shocked that it was Samuel. Then they fought about what to do.

“So we should just give him Baejin then? Then it’ll all be over?” Upon hearing this comment, Daehwi stands up.

“Listen everyone! We can’t let Samuel have Jinyoung! We can’t let another person die. Let’s focus on escape instead.” His voice was shaky but he had to protect his true love. Dongho stood up after him. Daehwi was scared of what he would say.

“I agree with Daehwi.” Minki stood up next to him with a sigh but didn’t say anything.

At this moment, Jonghyun and his group burst back into the gym.

“Everyone! Our main priority is to stop Samuel! Come with me if you’re willing to confront him.” A third year stood up and dragged another boy with him to Jonghyun.

“But Niel,” the boy whined. Euiwoong also walked confidently over.

“But Jonghyun,” Minhyun stood up as well to get his attention. “Isn’t too dangerous? I think we should just give him Bae Jinyoung like he wants. None of us want to die either.”

Some boys nodded with this statement. Seonho, who had been sitting by Daehwi, got up to go over by Minhyun. Guanlin followed him and pulled Jihoon along with him. Jihoon looked confused and uncertain. Daehwi didn’t blame him.

“No, nobody else should die. That’s why we have to stop Samuel,” Jonghyun tried to explain but voices yelled over his.

“Yeah, why should we have to suffer when he only wants Jinyoung?” A short third year stood up. Boys began to gather around him as well.

“Stop it. The solution is not killing another person!” Jonghyun glared at Minhyun who glared back.

“Anyone who wants to rid of Jinyoung, come with me.”

Chaos broke out as everyone slowly took sides. The person who was at the center of it all had said absolutely nothing yet. Daehwi searched for him in the crowd and pulled him to the side. He was almost in a state of shock.

“Jinyoung hyung, I know that you might hate me after what happened, but I still love you.” He wrapped his blanket around him. “I swear, I won’t let Samuel hurt you. I don’t know what’s going on in his head right now but I’ll protect you.”

Daehwi was suddenly aware of people coming up behind him. He whirled around to see Dongho, Minki, Woojin, Hyungseob, and some other boys he didn’t know.

“We’re also with Daehwi,” Dongho proclaimed. “We don’t want to see anyone die so we’ll protect you too.”

“Hand over Jinyoung!” The shout came from the short guy from before. On the other side of the gym, another faction had formed. Jonghyun and his group were already gone, presumably to stop Samuel.

“Forget it, Taehyun! You’re not getting him!” Dongho called back. Daehwi’s group formed a protective ring around Jinyoung who looked like he was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

“Think about what’s best for everyone, Dongho.” This time Minhyun tried to appeal. “We can all live as long as Jinyoung dies.”

“I don’t want to live in a messed up world like that!” The outburst slipped out of his mouth. His eyebrows were drawn up and his lips quivered. Why was this happening to them? What had happened to Samuel? His friend would never do anything like this.

“If you won’t hand him over then we’ll take him by force!” Taehyun rushed toward them. Immediately, Daehwi’s group braced themselves and pushed back. Within seconds, it became an angry mob of pushing and pulling. He was struggling to pull himself out of the throng.

“Daehwi!” Strong hands gripped his waist and tugged him out. Turning around he saw Dongho who held Baejin behind him.  

The three of them dashed out of the gym. Daehwi’s shorter legs and low stamina made it hard for him to keep up so Dongho scooped him up in his arms. It was embarrassing but he didn’t really have time to be embarrassed when their Jinyoung’s life was on the line.

“They’re escaping!” Taehyun screamed. “After them!”

“Don’t let them get close!” Minki shouted. There were more yells but Daehwi couldn’t hear them anymore as they got further away. He just wanted to close his eyes and pretend this wasn’t happening.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> i am...so sorry.  
> stay tuned for part 2. it'll be released on October 31. halloween, so spooky


End file.
